Topic: Upper Big Branch Mine

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Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 04/13
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 04/12
In Pictures: West Virginia mine explosion

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Months after W.V. coal mining disaster, new US rule on coal dust

US issues emergency order to suppress coal dust blasts. Probes of the Upper Big Branch coal mining disaster, which killed 29 people in April, are focusing on coal dust as the likely culprit.
Zero tolerance for harm

A Christian Science perspective.
Robert Reich
It's time for the rebirth of regulation

Not heavy-handed and unncessarily costly regulation, but regulation that’s up to the task of protecting the public from companies and executives that will do almost anything to make a buck.
Obama's vow to West Virginia coal miners at service: better safety

President Obama addressed the families of 29 West Virginia coal miners who died in a mine explosion earlier this month. Miners say they hope he will honor his pledge of better safety, but many are skeptical.
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 04/13
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 04/12
With no survivors in West Virginia mine blast, focus shifts towards responsibility

Investigators say 'no stone will be left unturned' in finding the cause of the Upper Big Branch mine explosion. Criminal charges are rare following mine disasters, and causes for explosions can be complex.
Could rescue chambers have saved West Virginia miners?

Mine rescue chambers have been required since 2006, even though federal authorities could have required them as far back as 1969. But it's still unclear whether miners in this week's explosion in West Virginia could have reached the chambers.
In Pictures: West Virginia mine explosion
West Virginia mine disaster shows high cost of fossil-fuel dependence

The West Virginia coal mine explosion should compel us to work for a 21st-century energy strategy that doesn’t depend on costly and dangerous fossil fuels.
West Virginia coal mine still too toxic for rescue mission

Rescue efforts were focused on drilling holes into the coal mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, to vent toxic gas. But Wednesday evening, the situation was still too dangerous to send in a team.
West Virginia disaster: Will Congress take on coal mining companies?

Mining companies have been slow to adopt new safety requirements. Critics say the West Virginia disaster shows that Congress needs to step in. The industry says it needs clearer guidance.
Massey Energy: West Virginia mine explosion site's checkered past

The Upper Big Branch mine, where the West Virginia mine explosion occurred Monday, had about 500 violations issued against it last year. The mine is owned by Massey Energy.
The New Economy
West Virginia mine explosion: Mining jobs were getting safer, until now

Monday's West Virginia mine explosion, the worst since 1984, has caused more fatalities than all US coal-mine fatalities last year.